


Unapologetic

by mggislife2789



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Agender Character, Bisexual Character, Bisexual Female Character, Bisexual Male Character, Bisexuality, Coming Out, Demisexuality, Gen, Genderfluid Character, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Character of Color, LGBTQ Female Character, LGBTQ Female Character of Color, Lesbian Character, Pansexual Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2019-04-18 19:58:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14220657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mggislife2789/pseuds/mggislife2789
Summary: Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or their original stories. This is only for fun. It's where my brain goes after the credits roll. No copyright intended. Better safe than sorry. ;)





	Unapologetic

“What are you ordering? I’m stuck,” Emily said as they sat across from Spencer. He’d undoubtedly already memorized the entire menu and recited it to himself 10 times, while also choosing what he wanted to eat, and they were still scanning and stuck on whether they wanted a burger and fries or a buffalo chicken wrap. “Help me. Make my decision for me.”

Spencer chuckled and placed the menu down on the table. “I’m getting a fried chicken sandwich and onion rings because why not,” he said, his eyes trailing past a waiter and toward a table in the back of the restaurant. 

The man looked like he was having lunch out with his parents, and the smile on his face drew Spencer in. So much so that Emily ended up pulling him out of his thoughts and back to the present. “Reid? Reid!” They snapped their fingers in front of his eyes. “Earth to Reid! What’s got your attention?” 

When they glanced back, Emily saw a man with slight light brown stubble, blueish-green eyes and a smile that had probably caught the attention of everyone in the restaurant. “Oh, that’s who’s got your attention. He’s cute.”

“Y-yea-I mean, no. I mean…” He stopped for a second meeting Emily’s gaze before continuing. Obviously, they knew already. “I don’t really tell people I’m bisexual.”

Emily reached their hand across the table and laid it on Spencer’s. “You know that doesn’t matter to me, right? Men, women, love who you love.”

“Thanks, Emily. It feels nice to tell someone.” All of a sudden, their waitress came up to the table and took their drink orders before heading to the kitchen. “It looks like someone likes the waitress.” Then it dawned on him. “Are you…too?”

“Strictly ladies.”

“Really?”

“As long as you’ve known me, have I had a relationship with a man?”

“Touche.”

At first, they hesitated wondering whether or not to say anything, but Spencer had, and he’d been uncomfortable too. “Also, would you mind using they/them pronouns, or at least calling me Em until I can tell everyone else?”

“Sure,” Spencer smiled softly. “However you feel comfortable.”

\---

“Tara, while you’re on that side, you mind grabbing the Martinez case files?” Luke asked.

In the cramped-as-hell file room (which really needed to be turned fully digital, he was going to have to talk to Garcia about that), it was easier just to ask Tara to grab what he needed and vice versa so that they weren’t tripping over each other. “Which Martinez case? We have two here?”

“The Adam Martinez case. The start of the ritual hazing of LGBT students at Georgetown.” The words got caught in his throat. Despite his line of work, Luke’s belief in humanity made it hard for him to understand the hazing of people who loved someone differently than what had always been considered “normal.”

“You okay, Luke?”

“Yea. Just hard to comprehend cases like that, you know? Not that the rest of our work isn’t difficult to understand. It’s just different.”

Tara nodded reassuringly. She had a feel there was more behind his words, but she wasn’t about to push for them. If he wanted to say something else, hopefully he understood that he could feel safe in her presence. “Yea, I get it.”

“I’m gay.” Luke stopped shuffling through the files in his hand. Apparently, he hadn’t expected that to come out. “Sorry, I didn’t mean for it to come out so bluntly.”

“Why not?” Tara asked. “I am too. I also consider myself genderfluid. I think LGBT need to start being unapologetic about who they are - at least with people they feel safe with.”

For a moment, they exchanged a look. One that told the other the secret was safe for as long as the secret needed to be kept. And one of unrestrained realness. It was comforting.

\---

“You said you need to develop a taste for this, Rossi. I still haven’t.” Penelope grimaced as the bourbon hit the back of her throat, burning like wildfire on the way down. 

Rossi snickered at his dear Penelope’s face. “Just finish that glass and if you’re still not liking it I can make you a vodka tonic.”

“Ooh, now that’s my jam.” She tipped the glass back once again, feeling the sting, but a little less than before. “Speaking of jams, I need you to do your jam and meet a couple of people for me. Tell me if that Rossi intuition of yours says anything hinky about them?”

The older man nodded. “You want me to do my own personal vetting? For dates?”

“Yes, please.” She lost track of herself, drinking the rest of the bourbon while she regaled her boss and friend with the three people she was thinking about seeing at the moment. Two women and a man. “What’s that look?”

It was nothing. It was just that in his experience, when people weren’t straight they made a deal out of telling people and she just skirted over the issue. “I didn’t know you were part of the LGBT community?”

“Yea, I just kind of date however I feel. I’m pansexual.”

“Is that what means? I’ve heard the word, but never known the meaning before,” Rossi admitted, pouring a little more bourbon into his glass and snickering to himself when Penelope held out her glass.

Penelope bit back the alcohol again, realizing she’d subliminally asked for more. “Basically it just means that I’m not limited in the context of relationships with regard to anyone’s gender, gender identity or sexual orientation.”

“Interesting. I’m so old I don’t know the lingo anymore. Is there something for someone who can’t be sexually attracted to someone without a relationship first? Whether it’s romantic or friendship? Because besides the third wife, who I met, married and divorced within 48 hours, anyone I’ve ever been involved with I couldn’t feel anything for them in that way until we’d known each other a while.” Maybe he was just rambling like the kid and that was just the way most people worked. Honestly, he had no idea.

Penelope’s glass landed on the table, dead center of the coaster Rossi had laid out for her. “You’re demisexual! Welcome to the club!”

\---

“Before Kristy, I only had one relationship. It was the ending of high school and beginning of college. He was my best friend,” Matt said casually, flipping through the paperwork on his desk. 

At some point during the monotony of paperwork, he and JJ had started talking about former relationships, considering they were the only two married on the team. “You’re bi?” JJ asked. Her face lit up. She had an inkling that Spencer was bi, but he hadn’t said anything and she didn’t want to pry.

“Yea,” he replied. “It’s kind of just always been that way. I can’t remember a time when it wasn’t.”

“Same for me.”

“Ever been in a relationship with a woman?” He asked. Even before he joined the BAU, JJ and Will had been together for years. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be asking that.” He laughed and shook his head, returning to his paperwork and pretending he didn’t say anything. 

JJ didn’t mind though. It felt nice to actually talk about it with someone that wasn’t her husband. “Yea, actually. Will was the first man I dated actually. He really made an impression. I had two relationships before him. One in college and one in the early days in the Academy, both with women.” She found herself staring off into the distance for a moment, remembering them both. “Sorry, I just got distracted. It’s especially tough when you’re attracted to both genders.”

“Absolutely,” Matt laughed. “Plus, you have twice as many candidates to sort through. Thank god I found Kristy.”

JJ snickered, glancing toward the picture of Will and the boys on her desk. “Seriously, if I wasn’t married already, I feel dating would be even harder now.”

Matt lifted his water bottle off his desk and tipped it toward her in a toast. “Here’s to already being married and out of the bisexual whirlpool.”

“Here, here.”


End file.
